Why not implement a Prison System in the very near future?

WraithAzraiel

WARNING Wall of Text Ahead!

TL:DR - Prevent large coordinated groups from being able to use Justice System to farm money by making guards more powerful the longer they're engaged in combat.

Add a prison system you can escape from or serve time in to save money from paying bounties.

A thought occurred to me yesterday whilst participating in the Windhelm Crime Spree on the PTS.


What if, bear with me, a guild decided to gather together a full group (24 people) and ransack a town for all the steal-ables and loots that the kill-able NPCs now drop, in an attempt to farm gold, let's say?

If this is at all possible in the first place.

For instance, by having the tanks and healers of that group some how some waygather the guards and keep them busy - while the DPS run amok. Killing and looting and waiting for respawns to kill and loot again.

While this would have little to no effect on individuals questing, it could be seen by some as griefing and definitely exploiting by others. If it's even possible.

I had 2 solutions for this hypothetical problem I'd like to share. Please offer your thoughts and feedback on why these ideas could/couldn't work and what they would mean for gameplay and the current/future community.

Solution #1:

Guard Power

Should an instance like the aforementioned scenario occur - the attacks and attack abilities of the guards engaged in actual combat would grow in power until effectively 1-shot'ing the offenders attempting to "keep them busy" while their compatriots farm teh lootz.

Also in line, say an individual thinks they're funny and would like to see how long they can keep a guard or string thereof on a leash - letting them chase and catch them and then fleeing. In circles. Through town. Into the Healing Springs of an individual minding their own business and either healing themselves or a groupmate after finishing a quest and returning to the supposed safety of town, effectively giving that healer a bounty and 'wanted' level they did nothing to warrant.

Instituting this practice would nip that kind of trolling and d-baggery in the bud.


Solution # 2:

Jail Time

As an alternative to paying a bounty, an individual could choose to spend time in Jail. Or in the stocks if designing a template prison and porting it into all the cities like was done with the Outlaw Refuges is too much of a pain.

Considering game time runs faster than actual time, this could be a valid way to save coin and add weight to the importance of not getting caught.

Times would depend on wanted level. Just an idea.
Disreputable capture lands you in a prison cell or the stocks for 5 real minutes.
Notorious capture? 10 minutes.
Fugitive capture? Will likely end in death anyway, however, the addition of a /surrender function could change that. 15 real minutes in prison.


Make it fun.

Add the ability to escape. Have the cell door susceptible to lockpicking. Remove all inventory from the prisoner, or make it unaccessible with the exception of 3 lockpicks.

This will give the imprisoned individual 3 strikes on picking the Master level lock that is the cell door or the lock on the stocks.

Should the prisoner's belongings be removed from their inventory, they would be stored in a lockbox only accessible by the individual across the room from their cell.

Pick your way out of your cell with 1 lockpick? Excellent, now you have 2 to spare on attempting to get back your gear.

Have only 1 and break it when attempting to pick the lockbox? Add in a conveniently sleeping "guard" NPC (one that's actually killable, should the need arise) of which we can pickpocket or slay in order to reach the key.

From there, you can have all sorts of options.

You could free the other prisoners and start a riot to cover your escape.

DISCLAIMER: Of course the prisons in the cities will have to be instanced separately from the city proper - to dissuade individuals who aren't wanted or imprisoned from gaining access for the sheer purpose to cause riots and to be a nuisance.

You could go the stealth approach and sneak out.

Make all the guards in the prison killable and you can simply kill your way out. Make them the ESO version of elites, to add a bit of difficulty.

However should you be discovered in your escape, your bounty is reinstated and doubled and your 'wanted' level jumps to Fugitive.


What do you guys think?

WraithAzraiel

This idea opens the door to a plethora of possibilities for Achievements.

Jailbird - Spend 15 minutes in prison or the stocks.

Escape Artist - Successfully travel without capture from your Prison Cell to an Outlaw Refuge. This one could give a Title.

Locksmith - Successfully open X number of these types of locks: loot chests, doors of homes, jail cell doors. This one DEFINITELY should give a title.

WraithAzraiel

Would also be a great way to implement some prison related costumes.

While in prison, your gear would be replaced with a disguise or costume of prison clothes (dirty rags, shackles, maybe the Tamrielic equivalent of a striped jumpsuit with a ball and chain)

If you serve your sentence or pay a reduced bounty (call it a fine) to get out early, you lose the costume.

But if you escape, you save the costume and it goes into your collection.


Any thoughts or ideas folks?

Rev Rielle

Personally, I think Jail Time is something that should be implemented into the justice system. It would be a wonderful and appropriate way for development to curb exploiting of the system, by providing real, meaningful and in-game consequences for partaking in certain activities, such as continually attacking a guards in public and getting caught. 5 to 15 minutes in jail for an offense is not very long, but I think would be an appropriate time-frame depending upon the offense.

It touches on the much wider topic of 'consequences for ones actions' that use to be a staple in MMOs (and still is in some, e.g. EVE Online), but of late has largely gone out of fashion due to whatever reason. The more it's brought back the better I think. MMOs these days are too much about 'getting what we want all the time with little fear of failure'. As almost any psychologist will tell you: an absence of fear from failure/consequence often goes goes hand in hand with an absence of joy/reward when we succeed.

WraithAzraiel

Rev Rielle wrote: »

Personally, I think Jail Time is something that should be implemented into the justice system. It would be a wonderful and appropriate way for development to curb exploiting of the system, by providing real, meaningful and in-game consequences for partaking in certain activities, such as continually attacking a guards in public and getting caught. 5 to 15 minutes in jail for an offense is not very long, but I think would be an appropriate time-frame depending upon the offense.

It touches on the much wider topic of 'consequences for ones actions' that use to be a staple in MMOs (and still is in some, e.g. EVE Online), but of late has largely gone out of fashion due to whatever reason. The more it's brought back the better I think. MMOs these days are too much about 'getting what we want all the time with little fear of failure'. As almost any psychologist will tell you: an absence of fear from failure/consequence often goes goes hand in hand with an absence of joy/reward when we succeed.

Agreed.

There needs to be a consequence other than death.

I hope somebody at ZOS gives the /feedback I wrote a look.

Better yet I hope one of the Forum admins kick this and posts like it up to the Powers that Be.

@ZOS_GinaBruno‌ @ZOS_JessicaFolsom‌ @ZOS_JasonLeavey‌ hint hint nudge nudge

WraithAzraiel

Figured I'd revive this thread and see if any new opinions and critiques crop up.

Enodoc

Jail time would definitely be interesting, and I like the suggestions you've come up with. I'd also like to see some sort of Community Service, which would have you perform short quests to reduce your bounty.

WraithAzraiel

Enodoc wrote: »

Jail time would definitely be interesting, and I like the suggestions you've come up with. I'd also like to see some sort of Community Service, which would have you perform short quests to reduce your bounty.

Oh that'd be cool. Good idea.

Elsonso

I could write a lot, but it all boils down to this: Jail is not fun.

WraithAzraiel

lordrichter wrote: »

I could write a lot, but it all boils down to this: Jail is not fun.

Oh without a doubt, but adding the possibility of escape into the mix could make it pretty fun.

Also if a character doesn't feel like trying to escape they can just serve their "sentence" with a max amount of time set at something like 20 minutes, which would count down while offline as well, mind you.

Ace_SiN

lordrichter wrote: »

I could write a lot, but it all boils down to this: Jail is not fun.

Well most people enjoyed ArcheAge's jail/jury system since it had the community involved in other ways besides killing each other in Open World PvP. Those that reported the crimes could also leave notes. The main issue some had with AA jail system had was that the timer didn't count while offline and escaping still left a debuff on you that prevented you from interacting with anything.

stewart.leslie76b16_ESO

I'll be up for this, but only if the bards that will inevitably be joining us to irritate the living daylights learn some new tunes.

Obvious track list includes:
Jail Break
Nobody knows the troubles I've seen
The boys are back in town

I might even punch a guard to extend my sentence if the gig is good.

SevenPlants

WraithAzraiel wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

I could write a lot, but it all boils down to this: Jail is not fun.

Oh without a doubt, but adding the possibility of escape into the mix could make it pretty fun.

Also if a character doesn't feel like trying to escape they can just serve their "sentence" with a max amount of time set at something like 20 minutes, which would count down while offline as well, mind you.

It won't happen. For a simple reason : It's bad for business.
They want people to play the game. Not log off.

SantaOrc

I hate the idea.
People are meaned to do whatever they like, not be forced to lockpick themself out of a time sentence.

I understand the exitement about it, but it's not a good system for an MMORPG.